Creole originally meant a European born in the Americas. The term is Criollo in Spanish. They were a step below the European-born whites: "Blancs" in French and "Blancos" or "Peninsulares" in Spanish.

In English colonies or countries descended from those colonies like the US, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Belize, Creole came to mean black-and-white mixed, often referring to those of African ancestry mixed with French or Spanish or both, especially in New Orleans. Creoles often thought of themselves as culturally more European than African and thus as one step above Black Africans or Natives. They were still a step below white elites at the top, who no longer distinguished between born in Europe or the Americas.

In Beka Lamb, Beka and her family are Creoles. This includes Granny Ivy, Bill Lamb, Beka Lamb, Lilla Lamb, and Beka's two small brothers. Toycie and her Aunt Eila are also Creoles.

In the novel Beka Lamb, the Creoles are a mixed race of blacks and whites. Beka and her family are Creoles. This includes Granny Ivy, Bill Lamb, Beka Lamb, Lilla Lamb and Beka's two little brothers. Most of the people in their surrounding community are also Creoles, with a few exceptions (National Vellor). Toycie and her Aunt Eila are also Creoles. At the time of the novel (Belize in the 1950s), the Creoles had lost the influence they had in prior years in the government and in education. This is one of the themes of the novel, therefore -- the conflict between the Creoles and the Panias. The Panias are mixed race Spanish and Natives. Emilio and his family are Panias, so when he refused to marry Toycie, this illustrates exploitation of Creoles by Panias. Mr. Blanco, Bill Lamb's boss, is also a Pania. There are seven different races that live in Belize and it has been referred to often by critics as a "mosaic culture."